Reader’s Annotation: Can Mibs’ use her savvy in time to save her father from a coma?

Summary:

When a member of the Beaumont family turns 13, he or she discovers their “savvy” or magical talent. Mississippi “Mibs” Beaumont is about to turn 13. Her older brothers are able to control electricity and summon powerful storms. Her mother does everything perfectly. Her father, disappointingly, is “normal.” Eager to find out her savvy, the celebrations of her special day are dampened when her father ends up in a coma after an accident and her mother leaves to go to her father’s side. Because Mibs thinks her savvy is restoring life, she is eager to join her mother and father and to return her father to his full capacity. She convinces her siblings, and a ragtag group of friends, to accompany her on a journey that promises to be full of adventure. Stowing away on a Bible mobile, this quirky group journey from the town of Emerald to her father’s hospital bedside, discovering their own voices, strengths, and special talents that have nothing to do with savvies.

Evaluation:

Ingrid Law’s Savvy is a coming of age story about a 13 year old girl and her friends. Through this whimsically written tale of magic and family, and questing and self-discovery, Mibs learns about her strengths and qualities that have nothing to do with the magical talents that her family gains at 13. It is the story of family love, where Mibs wants to help her father with her new talent (which turns out to be something else entirely). Finding the good in things that appear to be bad is another theme that runs through this novel. It is also the story of finding her own voice and heeding it. The characters are quirky and endearing, believable in their bonds with each other. Using both humor and fantasy, Law creates another world, but a realistic one where the reader watches as Mibs and her friends mature and overcome obstacles set in their way. There are some made up vocabulary words used for world building that make the language more complex, as is Law’s writing style itself. Other references to The Wizard of Oz can also be found in the story, which may make it more accessible for other readers who are familiar with this other story.

Rating Scale:

Popularity:1 – Would sit on shelves unread; 2 – May see the light of day as an assigned reading; 3 – Interesting to readers, may need marketing; 4 – Very appealing read, ; 5 – Need multiple copies, because it would always be checked out!

I chose this novel because of the magical aspect. I thought it was an interesting concept that all the members of the Beaumont family would receive special “savvies” when they turned 13. The mystery of what Mibs’ actual savvy is was intriguing. I also enjoyed the colorful cast of characters, and Law’s writing style.